David Alaba may have suffered a hamstring tear

Early into the second half of Bayern Munich’s match against Gladbach, David Alaba went down with a non-contact injury.

As if Bayern Munich’s match against Borussia Monchengladbach could not get any worse, after conceding a two-goal lead to the guests, Bayern Munich lost their only fit left-back, David Alaba, to an apparent hamstring injury.

After a fruitless attack, Alaba lingered behind in Gladbach’s penalty area as the game moved to Bayern’s half. Then Alaba sat down on the pitch and signaled to the bench. Dr. Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt and an assistant emerged to treat his right hamstring before moving off the pitch. After a few moments, it was clear that Alaba would not return. He was replaced by Renato Sanches, as Leon Goretzka moved to cover Alaba’s position at left-back.

If Alaba has suffered a serious muscular injury, that would be yet another devastating blow for the club, which has lost Kingsley Coman until 2019 and Corentin Tolisso potentially for the entire season. Only the fact that backup left-and/or-right-back Rafinha has nearly recovered from his own ligament injury. Rafinha is Bayern’s only depth at the position after the club sold Juan Bernat to PSG before the transfer window closed. Bayern will be grateful that the October international break is imminent.

An official diagnosis remains to be made, but head coach Niko Kovac gave the media ominous tidings after the match. Concerning Alaba’s injury, Kovac told the media (AZ), “It could be a muscle tear, given how he described it to me.” Such an injury would sideline Alaba, who has been among the best, most consistent performers this season, even beyond the international break. “We have no outside-back. Now exactly what I feared has happened. That happens when you’re tired,” Kovac concluded.